A generic card for a chain restaurant that was apparently owned by Woolworth's. I never went to a Harvest House, though I do have very fond memories of going to the counter at Woolworth's in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania with my grandmother.

The real question here is where was this photo actually taken? Were there several restaurants that looked exactly like this or did they just take a shot and slap different cities on the back?

I have found other vintage post cards for Harvest House online with different images. It appears there were two other images used for their cards seen here and here.

To see a Harvest House cheesecake recipe click here. To see an old matchbook cover click here.

So that's today's mystery. Where did this room actually exist? Did it exist?

I can't guarantee any of these links will work in the future because many of them are for cards currently for sale.

40 comments:

I worked for HHC from 1968 in Elyria, OH until 1976 in Flint, MI starting as a dishwasher and ending as assistant manager. The decor/construction was all very similar, the red leatherette chairs to the light green trim. This photo could have been from any of them. In fact, the one in Elyria looked exactly like this if the photographer were standing at the back door to the dishroom facing toward the front door.

I also worked at the Flint, MI HHC, and within the above mentioned time frame. Note to "Anonymous," posted on 9/3/2012, did you work for Art Popa? Is your name John Niegowski? My name is Dick Marvin and my email address is dmarvin6@gmail.com.

Yes, I also worked several years at a HHC. This stock photo is on all the location postcards, so it's impossible to know which precise rest. the image is from... And my HHC, in Ohio, also looked exactly like this one!

Thanks for the information. It was unusual to find restaurants that looked alike, except for Howard Johnson's. There's something fun to think of this restaurant being repeated all over the country so they could use the same card everywhere.

I remember the Harvest House in River Roads Shopping Center in St. Louis. The Municipal Opera had an arrangement with them at some point (60s & 70s, at least) to bring visitors there, and my grandparents used to eat there see who they might see. I recall encountering a number of local celebrities as well as people like Al Lewis, who seemed genuinely glad that people recognized him, and Angela Lansbury (in her pre-Sweeney Todd days) who seemed genuinely surprised that people remembered her.

My first job was at the Harvest House in the Beaver Valley Mall, Center Township, Monaca, PA in 1974. It looked just like the picture, even the carpet was the same. I was a busboy, dishwasher, and pot scrubber. The Woolwoth's coffee shop was serviced by the same kitchen and backroom facilities. I met my first wife there, working on the serving line.

I worked HHC in Castleton Mall, Indpls., IN. Think it was 1977-1980 sometime in that span. Manager Mr. Perryman, assistant Mark. Other employees Rosie, and Shirley. I would like to have the recipe to the HHC fruit muffins. Thanks

Used to go to the one in Richmond Mall in Richmond Heights, Ohio (east side of Cleveland) and it looked exactly like this one. I think my Grandma might have even worked there at some point. Thanks for the great memory!

On eBay I found photo reprint for a Woolworth's Crossroad Cafeteria (exterior image), St Petersburg, FL and another for a harvest house restaurant interior in same town. Would it have been the same restaurant, different name? The Woolworth image had date of around 1960? I'm trying to piece some of the history of my home town that one wouldn't find in usual places.

I wish I could help, but I honestly don't know. I never went to one of the restaurants and only know it through this old post card. Perhaps someone will find your comment and provide information. As you can see there have been several comments from former employees.

That looks exactly like the Harvest House in the Moorestown Mall in New Jersey. The restaurant was on one side of Woolworth's and the Harvest House Grille was on the other side of Woolworth's in the Mall. The management always had a huge spread for the employees who worked Christmas Eve when they had their break over in the restaurant. It was great! Thanks for the memories!

The Harvest House I ate at on a regular basis with my mother and grandmother was also the one inside Chapel Hill Mall in Akron Ohio from about 1972- until it disapeared, and I'm not sure when that was?

From the address, this would have in the Los Cerritos Center Mall (still there today, just was there a year ago). Not sure in which part of the mall it was though. Thanks for posting, I was born in '75 and don't remember seeing any of these, but I remember Woolworth's vividly.

There was a Harvest House next to Woolworth's at the Colonial Park Mall in Harrisburg, and yes, it looked like the card. There wasn't one at the Woolworth's in town though. I never realized that they were owned by Woolworth's, or that there was more than one!

My Grandma Jackie was a District Manager of the Koch's Men's store, (Big and Tall Men's, alterations made in store, Cleveland Cav players, Cleveland Brown Football players, etc) anyway, when I was a small child, I remember fondly of going to eat lunch with her at "The Harvest House" in Chapel Hill Mall Akron, Ohio! Their food was amazing they were kinda like a "Luby's". Cafeteria restaurant, I always got side orders passed through the grill of Macaroni & cheese, Jello with whip crime on top, chocolate pie, cake, vegetables, and their rolls and butter!!!

I also loved the smell when you walked into a Woolworth store, it had that great smell of clean/ medicine/ Woolworth Smell. I have searched for years for a picture of the Harvest House in Woolworth in Chapel Hill mall to add to my Pinterest, thank you so much for having this great remembrance for me and my family

I'm so glad this means something to you. Old pieces of paper can spark many a memory. I personally never went to a Harvest House, but do remember eating at the counter in Woolworth's in the 1950s. I always loved going there for milkshakes.

I have fond memories of my father taking me to Harvest House at Oxford Valley Mall in the early-mid seventies after the mall opened. The Woolworths in the mall had two floors and adjacent to the bottom floor was the Harvest House restaurant. The entrance was so non descript I never knew it was even there until my father took me there to eat. But I remember it like it was yesterday, grabbing a tray and getting into the food line and viewing all the hot foods you could choose from that the servers would "plate" for you. At the end of the serving line you would pay for whatever you had on your tray(s)at the cashier. Then you would go find an empty table to sit and eat. I remember the restaurant being very clean, the food being pretty good and it was an affordable place to get a good hot meal. Sadly when Woolworths changed to Woolco I believe they closed the Harvest House restaurant there. Very, very good memories from 45 years ago.

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